Today, it is difficult to imagine a field of human activity where modern digital and communication technologies are not used. It is no secret that our future largely depends on the creation of new information technologies, the constant development of digital and communication tools, which, in turn, is determined by the level of technical training of graduates of computing and information specialties of universities.

The presence of a department of such a profile in the al-Farabi Kazakh National University was dictated and is dictated by the dictates of the time, the ever-increasing influence and application of digital information technologies in all spheres of human activity, and the need to expand the training of IT specialists in various fields.
So, in November 2001, the Department of Computer Science was organized. At the origins of its creation was the Doctor of Physical and Mathematical Sciences, Professor G. T. Balakaeva, who was the first head of the department and headed it in the period from 2001 to 2006. Under her leadership, a team, a curriculum, programs were created, and for the first time, students were recruited for the specialties "Computer Science","Computer Engineering and Software".

The department trains bachelors in the following specialties:

• 6В06104 - Computer Science
• 6В06103 - Computer Engineering

Masters in specialties:

• 7М01502 - Informatics
• 7M06104 - Computer Science
• 7M06103 - Computer Engineering
• 7М06114 - Systems Engineering (BAY)

PhD doctors in the following specialties:

• 8D01502 - Informatics
• 8D06103 - Computer Science
• 8D06102 - Computer Engineering
• 8D06105 - Systems Engineering

The department carries out preparation of bachelors in the following specialties: 5B060200 computer science, 5B070400 6M070400 -Computer science and software engineering, 5B011100 computer science; masters in the field: 6M060200 Computer Science, 6M070400 -Computer science and software engineering; PhD doctors in specialties: 6D060200 Computer science, 6D075100 - Computer science, computer engineering and management. Department of Computer Science among the first in Kazakhstan began working on an educational training program for doctors of philosophy (PhD) in computer science. In 2008 the first graduates of PhD-Doctors of Science.

At the undergraduate computer science department, the following areas of study: theory algorithms and software development, organization of parallel computations; Web technology, database theory, Information security of computer systems and networks, software development for the social sphere, creation of software with a link to the equipment for technological tasks. Graduates of the department have the opportunity to continue their education at the master's program.

In the scientific and pedagogical master's degree Computer Science undergraduates are offered three educational programs: Theoretical Computer Science, High Performance Computing, Information Security Systems and Networks.

The department holds scientific and scientific-methodological seminar "Actual problems of computer science," which discusses the research faculty, PhD doctoral and masters in the field of advanced information technologies related to object-oriented, systematic and structured programming, algorithms and data structuring, networking, parallel processing, reliability and fault tolerance of computer systems, real-time systems, Web design

In the field of networking and communications technology department of computer science working withRegional / Local Networking Academy Cisco, a few teachers of the department are certified instructors of the Academy Cisco. Department of Informatics students can enroll in the on-line by the International Program Cisco Networking Academy and become certified.

Since 2003, the Department of Computer Science at the base of Mechanics and Mathematics Department holds the World Cup quarter-finals of the programming team of Kazakhstan. Every year in the league in Kazakhstan attended by over 80 teams (over 240) of all the leading universities of the country.